


afterglow of day

by fangirl_squee



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Napping, Sleeping Together, spoilers for the SiH44/finale epilogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-26 18:00:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20746412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee
Summary: A look at their well-earned rest.





	afterglow of day

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [Annie's very peaceful art](https://twitter.com/dancynrew/status/1164395875126267906).
> 
> Unbeta'd!
> 
> title from 'twilight time' by the platters

Hadrian slowly putters around the house, preparing for bed. He can hear the quiet sound of Rosana finishing the dishes from the meal he’d cooked as he checks the windows are closed and the lamps have been put out, their usual division of labour of a night time.

He steps outside for a moment to look down the street before he bolts the door, just in case there are any last minute visitors. The winding path outside their door is quiet and still.

“Hadrian?”

Hadrian takes one last look before he closes the door, sliding the bolt into place. “Coming.”

He moves a little slower than he used to. It doesn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. There’s less cause for him to move fast nowadays, no danger to dodge or problem to rush in and solve. He touches the hilt of his sword where it rests against the wall as he passes, smiling. He hasn’t had need of it in quite a while.

Rosana has already changed for bed when he enters their bedroom, brushing out her hair in front of the dressing table mirror. She turns to smile at him, handing him the brush as he extends a hand. He can do this, still.

She sighs, tension leaving her shoulder as he works the brush through her hair. There isn’t that many tangles to work out, but he still makes sure to do the hundred strokes.

Rosana stands when he’s done, leaning up to kiss his forehead, her hand resting on his chest. He puts his hand over her’s, holding it in place. They stay that way for a long moment, until Rosana leans forward again to press a light kiss to his lips and lead him towards the bed.

They settle beside one another, their bodies fitting together with the ease of long practise. Hadrian lets out a long breath, the day’s ache in his joints fading as his body relaxes into the bed.

“Good night, love.”

Rosana presses a kiss to his shoulder. “Good night.”

\----

Ephrim is dozing in the dappled sunlight of his cottage garden. He did quite a bit in the garden yesterday, trying to push himself like he used to be able to do, and so today his body cries out for rest. Unlike his time in Hieron, the Rhizome has given him the time to be able to give it that. He stretches out on the plush lounge chair Fero had made for him, feeling the warmth of suns on his skin.

“Room for one more?” says Throndir, from above him.

Ephrim cracks open an eye, smiling as he sees him. Throndir’s been away for a few days, more of a long walk with Kodiak than a real journey, but Ephrim still feels a rush of warmth in his chest as if they were reuniting after years.

“Of course,” says Ephrim, “That’s why I had it made, after all.”

Ephrim shifts a little, letting Throndir lie down beside him. His skin feels cool compared to the warmth of the afternoon suns, a not unwelcome sensation. Ephrim relaxes against Throndir’s side, his head resting on Throndir’s shoulder. He feels his eyes drift closed again.

“Tell me about your trip?” says Ephrim.

“What part do you want to hear?”

“All of it,” says Ephrim.

Throndir huffs a laugh. “Well, alright.”

Ephrim can feel himself drift back off after the first few sentences, but he can’t bring himself to mind. Throndir can always tell him again later. They have time.

\----

The house always feels so quiet, after the noise of the day. It’s always more noticeable when Hella returns from a journey, Rix and Rowe’s clamouring for stories of heroics and travel, Adaire finding thin excuses to lean against her. Hella loves it, the warmth of it, even as Rix and Rowe follow them to bed, demand to hear last story after last story until they end up falling asleep to them, curled next to Adaire, Barbelo asleep on her feet.

The quiet does make is a little difficult for Hella to fall asleep right away though.

“What is it?” says Adaire, softly, so she doesn’t wake them.

Hella lets out a breath, looking at Adaire, and, past her, Rix and Rowe, their faces still and innocent in sleep. She feels Adelaide too, curling against her mind as warmly as Adaire is against her side.

“Nothing,” says Hella, “Just thinking about how this isn’t where I expected to end up.”

Adaire hums. “Well, you know. They always miss you after you’ve been away. I suppose they are getting a little old for it.”

Hella blinks, the words filtering through her tired mind for a moment before she smiles. “It’s fine. The bed’s big enough.”

“If you say so,” says Adaire.

She curls in a little closer to Hella. Whether it’s to give Rix and Rowe more room or to be closer to Hella, Hella couldn’t say, but she likes it all the same. She presses a kiss to the top of Adaire’s head.

Adaire hums again, the sound muffled where she’s pressed herself against Hella’s side. “I think we should look into getting a bigger bed.”

Hella huffs a laugh. “If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll get.”

\----

Fero visits, sometimes. Emmanuel suspects he journeys to the small rooms at the University that he and Lem have made a home in far more frequently than anywhere else in the Rhizome, although Emmanuel chooses to keep this particular thought to himself. Fero can still be prickly, at times, about the implication that he’s settling down anywhere that is not his own isolated cave.

Still, Emmanuel does enjoy Fero’s visits. He knows Lem enjoys them too. He always smiles when he sees Fero’s head poke through the door, and for all that he and Fero spend the day arguing, they still follow Emmanuel to bed each night Fero spends there. The arguments follow, sometimes, including a particularly memorable instance of Fero spending the night as a hedgehog, deliberately poking Lem all night.

Most of the time though, Fero is his halfling self, half-draped over Lem’s side and other hand curled into the fabric of Emmanuel’s sleep shirt, peaceful and still the way he sometimes is when he talks to the plants in their garden.

Emmanuel doubts that Fero will ever choose to stay with them forever but, for now, the visits are more than enough, the memory of them lingering in his absence until he comes to them again.

\----

Red Jack gets tired now, which is new. It was startling the first time he was the one to suggest making camp for the night. Throndir is pretty sure he did not do a very good job at hiding his surprise.

Now though, when they travel, he tries to look for signs the way he would with any other companion. Ace helps too, tossing his head just so, prompting Throndir to look for places to stop for the night.

The campfire flickers as they lean against one another. Red Jack’s body is still hotter than any fire, heating even Throndir’s vampire-cold skin. He lets out a long breath, relaxing more into Red Jack’s side. Red Jack shifts a little, his arm sliding around Throndir’s shoulder, holding him close.

Soon, Throndir will make himself get up and get out their bedding, bedrolls close enough they they can lie together, the warmth of Red Jack curled around them both as they sleep.

But, thinks Throndir as he feels the steady heartbeat of Red Jack, he can put it off a little longer.

\----

They’re old hands at the routine of setting up camp now, practised adventurers. Ben laughs whenever Blue J calls them that, not a rare sound to be sure but still one that Blue J savours.

Blue J always triple checks everything before they go to sleep if they’re in a new spot of the Rhizome. They almost always are, unless they’re traveling back to see Ben’s parents. Ben’s eyes follow them as they move through their camp, a fond smile on his face as they check the tent pegs are secure.

“I’m just making sure.”

Ben smiles. “I know.”

He waits for them to finish just one last look around, holding the tent flap open for them and securing it behind them. He’s already changed for bed, sitting cross-legged on their bedroll as he waits, and only lying down as they sit beside him.

They lie facing Ben. This is Ben’s own before bed-ritual, and he does it whether they’re somewhere new or not. They lamplight flickers against the walls of the tent and Ben studies their face for a moment before he brings their foreheads together.

Ben lets out a breath, the tension of the day leaving his body. Blue J gives the moment pause before he pulls Ben close to them, their bodies tangling together under the covers as they settle in to rest from the day’s journey.

After all, they need their rest. There’s still so much more of the Rhizome to explore.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi: mariusperkins on most places


End file.
